Unexpected Gifts
by Tay-21
Summary: Abby and Connor share a much needed Christmas holiday in the mountains accompanied by Sid, Nancy, and Rex.  A little bit of Christmas fluff written as a Secret Santa present for Primeval Denial over on Live Journal.  Enjoy!  Merry Christmas.  :-D


**A/N: Written as a Secret Santa Present for Woodstock12 over on Live Journal for their Secret Santa 2010 Challenge. She gave me the prompts Abby/Connor and mud, flat tire, cold; stockings, Sid, Nancy, hot chocolate; and log cabin skiing and ****snowmen. I hope you enjoy, and please leave me a review. They are very much appreciated. **

**Unexpected Gifts**

Connor had a brilliant Christmas surprise for Abby. He had been working on it for months, and now it might possibly be ruined if he didn't think fast.

Connor had spent the better part of the last six months saving every spare penny he could without giving anything away as to his plan. He and Abby had been married for five years now, and this December was their anniversary. He had already made one trip up to the log cabin near the ski lift he had rented for the two weeks around Christmas and New Year. He also had ski passes if Abby wanted, but since he wasn't actually that good at skiing, he'd also made ample preparations for if she just wanted to stay in. He had even already delivered Sid, Nancy, and Rex to the cabin as well to make sure they were used to their surroundings before he brought Abby up. The cabin was stocked with food and hot chocolate, as well as some of their favorite adult beverages that would undoubtedly end up mixed with the hot chocolate.

The problem now was that Abby was freezing in the passenger seat of the car and Connor couldn't get the wheel nuts off the wheel to change the flat tire. The longer he lay there, the more his own body heat was sapped into the ground effectively turning the ice at the edge of the road to frigid mud.

"Connor, please, just call a recovery vehicle," Abby pleaded as Connor got back in the car for the fourth time.

He shivered and held his hands up to the heater. "I think you might be right. I swear it's like those damn things are frozen in place. Of all the times to have a flat tire, why now?" Connor leaned his head on the steering wheel and growled in frustration. He pulled his mobile out and called the number for roadside assistance. He didn't even lift his head; he just held the phone to his ear.

Abby listened as he explained the situation and gave their location. She looked over at him expectantly as he leaned his head back against the headrest and blew out a puff of air.

"They can't get here for another 45 minutes." He looked over at her apologetically. "I'm sorry, this was supposed to be a perfect holiday for us. Nothing ever goes according to plan I guess though, huh? Not with us at least."

Abby reached out and stroked his hair. "It's still perfect, Conn. It's just you and me for the next few days, right? This is just a minor delay, that's all." She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"I'm freezing, you're freezing, all I can think of is…" Connor suddenly stopped talking. He had almost let it slip where they were headed. He hadn't told Abby anything of his plans yet. He had just told her to pack for a trip alone together. He had done her the courtesy of letting her know it would be cold where they were going, but that was it.

Abby sensed his sudden hesitation and dove in for the kill.

"Connor, come on, tell me. Please?" She actually batted her eyelashes at him.

"Abby, you're going to ruin the surprise if you keep pushing for information."

Abby harrumphed in the passenger seat and pouted. She **was** cold.

"I can think of other ways for us to pass the time and keep warm though," he stated suggestively. When she looked over at him, he wagged his eyebrows at her with extra flair.

"Connor, you're all muddy and dirty right now." She gave him a disapproving appraising look. Then, promptly leaned forward grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him hard on the mouth. Connor squeaked in surprise and took a second before returning the fiery kiss.

* * *

When the driver of the assistance vehicle arrived 45 minutes later he found the two stranded motorists very flushed and rosy-cheeked. He could easily have guessed what they had been up to, it was obvious they were in love, but like a good businessman, he kept his observations to himself, only allowing the slightest of chuckles to escape as he kneeled down to change the tire **after** Mr. Temple had got back in the car with his wife.

* * *

Connor drove in a giddy silence an hour later. It had taken the assistance driver another 30 minutes to change the tire. He clearly wasn't going to be on the pit crew of any Formula One racing team, but one of the bolts had been firmly stuck in place and then the threads had stripped when he finally got it off. Apparently the tire shop that had originally put the tire on had done it incorrectly. No wonder Connor hadn't been able to get the tire off. Now, he was almost at the secluded little log cabin in the Cairgorms.

Abby must have sensed his mood and was becoming giddy herself. Connor could see her bouncing in her seat and staring out the window at the darkened landscape as he sped through the windy roads. He smiled to himself. She had always wanted to go holiday in the mountains. She had done beaches and islands, but never a proper mountain trip. The farther up in elevation he drove the more excited she got. When they came around a curve and an entire mountain and its surrounding valley were suddenly laid out in front of them, it was her turn to squeak. She leaned over into Connor and he put his arm around her and held her to him, kissing the top of her head.

"Oh, Conn, it's so beautiful and perfect."

"How do you know this is where we're staying? Maybe I'm heading for one of the northern beaches on the other side of the range, yeah?" He looked down at her seriously. And then broke into a wide grin. He was a terrible liar, especially to Abby. She nuzzled his shoulder and wriggled further into him. He smiled smugly to himself. He knew he had outdone himself this time.

Ten minutes later, Connor turned the car up a windy gravel drive that was very narrow and steep, but had been well-tended. The four-wheel-drive vehicle he had rented had no trouble making it up the steep climb. At the top of the drive was a tiny log cottage complete with smoke curling delicately out of the ivy-covered stone chimney and hanging off of the porch roof. It was truly picturesque. There was a warm glow of light pouring from every window, some of it dancing and clearly firelight. Abby positively squealed with delight when she saw Rex bobbing his head at her upside down from the top of the inside window ledge and Sid and Nancy wagging their tales happily below him.

"You even brought the kids. It's so perfect." She headed for the door, but Connor grabbed her from behind and held her close.

"Hang on a minute, Mrs. Temple. There is something I never got to do that I've always wanted too. Our wedding was a bit quick and unconventional, you know. And we never had a proper honeymoon." He scooped her up in his arms and carried her up the steps, opened the door with one hand and carried her over the threshold. Connor planted a kiss on the tip of her nose before he set her down on her feet. He was careful to not set her down on Sid and Nancy who were dancing around eagerly right in front of them.

"Hey guys," Connor called stooping down to scratch their little heads. Rex fluttered down to Abby's shoulder and rubbed his face against hers.

"Hey to you too, Rex," Abby murmured.

Connor stood up after giving the animals some attention and reached his hand out to take Abby's. "Come see what else I've got set up for us." He was excited, but there was a seriousness there as well, a sort of dark, deep passion or hunger behind them. He showed her the small kitchen with its old wood-burning stove. There were two mugs set out, waiting to be filled with dark hot chocolate and two bottles of liqueur to go with it, the beautiful expensive types where the bottle looks as good as the liquid inside tastes. Next to the bottle were two ski passes, with a note that said, "If you like." Connor watched Abby's face light up with a smile at the shared memory of a time they were stuck up a tree in the Cretaceous.

"Skiing? We're going skiing?"

"As the note says, 'If you like.' But I should warn you, Abby, I'm kind of terrible at skiing, but if you want to and it makes you happy, I'll brave the slopes with you."

"We'll see. I'd love too, but I'd rather spend it with you, and I'd prefer that that much needed time alone not be in casualty at hospital."

"Oi! I been skiing before… sort of… when I was ten… for about an hour… before my lips turned blue and my mum insisted I go in for a warm up." He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"Hot chocolate?" Abby asked.

"Abby, during this holiday, your wish is my command." He pulled down the kettle and a got out the milk.

* * *

Abby wondered around the small cabin to see what else Connor had done while they waited. There was a huge fireplace on one side of the common room, a large hearth rug in front of it. There were beautiful, squashy, inviting wingback chairs and a matching squashy love seat and sofa, with the love seat positioned closest to the roaring fireplace. Connor had a beautiful huge Christmas tree in one corner; the lights were on it, but no ornaments. They were all in a big box sitting next to the tree. Abby made a mental note to ask Connor about this later. Hanging above the fireplace from the huge surrounding mantle were all their stockings. There was one for her, one for him, one for Sid, one for Nancy and one for Rex. She noticed they were full of stuff already. She was about to peek when Connor came around the corner with their hot chocolate.

"No peeking, Abby! You know better than that." Abby jumped when she realized she had been caught with her hand in the proverbial sweet jar.

"Wouldn't dream of it," she said innocently as she moved to sit on the love seat next to the huge fireplace. Just as they were snuggling in close and laughing at Sid and Nancy rolling around on the floor together, Rex gave a loud chirrup flew straight at Abby, squeaking loudly. Sid and Nancy stopped rolling around also and had their noses in the air. Their playful banter had stopped and instead had been replaced by little worried snuffling noises. A few seconds later Connor and Abby, after sharing a worried glance with each other, felt it too, a low rumbling and trembling in the ground. The lights flickered and went out. Connor got up and went to the window. He could see nothing of course because the snow was now coming down quite heavily.

He walked over to the counter in the kitchen and switched radio; thankfully it had a battery back up. He tuned it to the emergency frequency. They listened in shock as the report of the avalanche went out. One of the passes was now apparently completely covered. Connor gave a small groan, which then turned into a hearty chuckle.

"What is it, Conn? Are we OK here?"

"Oh, we're fine, but it looks like skiing and any other activity will be out for a while. We're snowed in, love. That pass that was just closed, that's the one pass in and out of this place." Connor paused to listen to the rest of the news.

Abby was slightly dumbfounded by the look on his face; it didn't match the bleakness of the news being reported one bit. The weatherman was forecasting rather nasty ice-storm to hit later in the evening. Apparently the temperature would warm up enough over the next few hours to slightly melt some of the snow, and then another weather front would sweep through and cause the temperature to plunge. The entire scenario had completely caught the forecasters off-guard. As if that wasn't bad enough, they were now also forecasting a minimum of another half metre of snow tomorrow. _So why in the world did Connor look so pleased? _ Then the penny dropped. They were snowed in. They were stuck in their tiny cabin, just the two of them, and no one around for kilometers, with no phone or internet, and no ARC distractions at all, just the two of them for the near future. Abby's smile was suddenly just as dazzling as Connor's.

Their eyes met and they were suddenly quite giddy and not sleepy at all.

"BEST. CHRISTMAS. EVER!" Connor stated. "Come on, we've got a lot to do to make sure we have everything ready for the next few days. Abby, I think our luck is finally changing."

Abby helped Connor do a quick inventory of what they had in terms of food and necessities. It was an old cabin, so for heating purposes, it had the large fireplace that heated both the kitchen, which also had a wood-burning stove and oven for cooking, and the great room. The small bedroom also had a little pot-bellied wood stove. Pilled high on one entire half of the side porch was a near mountain of firewood for their use. There was even more firewood, Connor told Abby, out at theback under a tarpaulin. In terms of food, they found the cupboards stocked quite nicely. Connor had wanted to spend as little time away from the house as possible, as he had stuffed the place with food. There were frozen pizzas and steak, as well as tons of eggs and various other breakfast foods; there were even ingredients enough to make both a beef stew and shepherd's pie. The gas thankfully was also still working, so as long as they made sure the pilot light was lit, they would even have hot water.

Abby sat on the edge of the bed while Connor lit the stove in the room. The bed was large and downy soft. It was covered in a beautiful intricate quilt that rested over a duvet. Abby reached her hand over and ran it across the crisp white linen. It was smooth and soft to the touch as well. Expensive. She wondered how much of their savings Connor had shelled out on this little anniversary trip of theirs. She took a sip of her hot chocolate and tasted the hazelnut liqueur he'd mixed into it and decided she didn't care. This was so perfect and it would be even more perfect when they exchanged their Christmas gifts later. She had her own surprise for Connor. That reminded her…

"Connor, why are the ornaments in a box and not on the tree, did you run out of time when you were decorating?"

"No," he said turning and smiling at her with a little sheepish grin. "We always decorate the tree together. I didn't want to do it without you."

"Oh, oh, of course." That made sense. Every Christmas they had been together they had decorated together. It had served to help Abby work through her horrible childhood memories of one destroyed Christmas after another, and make new wonderful memories with Connor. He looked forward to the time spent together as much as she did. It was so sweet of him. He really was a good man, the best man. She still didn't know how she had managed to snag someone like him, someone who loved her so much and put her good ahead of his own. She stood up and walked over to him. She put her hand on his head and ran it through his hair. "I love you, Connor. You know that?"

He nodded his head and then stood up; the fire was now lit and he closed the little door to the stove. He turned to her and wrapped his strong arms around her. "I love you too. I'm still not sure how I managed to get someone as amazing as you to love me, but I'm glad."

Abby couldn't help it, she giggled. "I was just thinking the exact same thing about you."

Connor kissed her slow and tender. "Let's put the kids to bed and then find out how comfortable our accommodation is, shall we?"

"Great plan, Connor."

They made sure that Sid, Nancy, and Rex were nestled down in their beds near the fire so they'd be warm enough through the night. Connor added some fuel to it and then they retired to the bedroom for the evening. The little stove had not had time yet to heat the room through and so the air was still chilly as they unpacked and undressed.

"Going to need to find some way to keep warm, yeah?" Connor said as he caught a very naked Abby up in his arms before she had time to pull on her pyjamas. He dropped her onto the bed and then swung himself up on top of her. He smothered her with kisses and tickled her sides with his talented fingers. Abby was suddenly not cold at all as she giggled and tickled him back. She could usually win a tickle war because Connor was insanely ticklish. This was no exception. Connor soon found himself rolled onto his back and pinned beneath Abby as she tortured him with tickles. She leaned forward and bit at his bottom lip, still laughing. She kissed him and laid herself completely down across his chest.

"Thank you, Connor, this is so perfect."

"Anything for you, love. You know that." The carefree feeling from the moment before blended seamlessly into the more tender, romantic feeling of the current moment. His arms wrapped around her waist and their lips met again in a deeper and more passionate way. Their accommodation was apparently perfectly adequate.

* * *

The next day was spent putting the ornaments on the tree and enjoying the lack of modern interruptions. The snow was still falling steadily and Connor had gone out to shovel it away from the car. Abby had used some very creative techniques to warm him up when he finally came back in.

According to the radio, the ice-storm had knocked out power to the whole surrounding valley. Most of the UK had ground to a halt under one of the worst winter storms to ever hit the country. No one was expecting things to pick up for quite some time. The heavy snow would be here to stay for a while and the pass was not going to be cleared for at least a week. Other than the fact that they had a good shelter and abundant food, it was very similar to when they had been in the Cretaceous all those years ago. Connor kept the fires burning and the little house stayed warm and toasty. Rex flew around the rafters and Sid and Nancy played and chewed on the furniture. Abby was constantly pulling them away from the legs of the chairs and tables.

The following day was much the same with snow and the shoveling and the chewing. It stayed that way, blessedly isolated for three more days. Abby was glowing. The two of them had so needed the time to just be together and enjoy each other's company. They needed the time to de-stress and not be worried that an anomaly call would come in, or that the world would be torn to shreds by a something-o-saurus. It was much need. Even though the anomalies were few and fewer every day, they did have their occasional close call now and again.

The snow started to lighten by the fifth evening and the forecast said things should start to clear up by the following morning, Christmas morning. That meant that they would have a wonderful white Christmas, without the snow. They might even be able to get out of the cabin and go for a walk to take in the pure white landscape. Every time Abby looked out the window, it looked like a scene out of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It looked as if they were at that point where the White Witch was still in control, but Father Christmas had broken through. She smiled to herself as she realized how much Connor's love for fantasy had rubbed off on her. He probably thought it looked like when the Fellowship had tried to cross thePass of Caradhras on their way to Lothlorien. This made her almost giggle out loud. She was simply going to have to get out of the cabin tomorrow. That really should not be that funny.

Connor beat her to it though. They had not seen a soul in days and around 19:00 Abby was startled to hear the sound of jingle bells coming from outside. Abby glanced at the window and noticed that the snow had stopped. She looked over at Connor who was dutifully ignoring the sound and attempting to keep the grin off of his face. It wasn't working.

"Connor? What is that?"

"What's what?" he said with a cheeky grin.

"Jingle bells, why do I here jingle bells coming from outside?"

"Don't know, let's go find out." Connor bounced up, grabbed her hand and headed for the door.

"Connor, you absolutely know why I'm hearing-" Abby stopped mid sentence when Connor threw open the door and she saw what had just pulled to a stop in front of the cabin. A sleigh, not a child's sleigh, but a real sleigh completely with wooly great horses drawing it along like something out of a storybook. Abby's mouth fell open.

Connor wrapped his arms around her waist. "I figured if we didn't go skiing that you'd be needing some time out of the cabin by this point," he whispered into her ear. "Didn't you say you always wanted to go for a moonlit sleigh ride?"

_How had he remembered that?_ She had told him that all the way back in the Cretaceous, before they'd got married, before they had even the slightest hope they'd make it home. Abby felt the tears prick her eyes and then felt the warmth of them falling down her cheeks. Connor kissed the top of her head before her left her standing in the doorway to get their coats.

"Won't we need blankets?" Abby asked.

Connor shook his head, "Already taken care of, come and see." He took her mitten covered hand and led her towards the carriage. It was even more beautiful up close. It was trimmed with holly and ivy. The seats were plushy red velvet. There were ample thick fur blankets piled up on the seat for them to cover with.

"Evening Mr and Mrs Temple. Didn't think I had forgotten about you, now did you?"

"Not at all, Sir," Connor replied. "But I might have forgotten to tell the Mrs here about our Christmas Eve plans." Connor smiled up at the old gentlemen holding the reigns in the driver's seat. "This," Connor said, turning to Abby, "is Nicholas. He lives at the foot of the mountain, is retired and gives hayrides in the autumn and sleigh rides in the winter. His wife, next to him, is Anna. They've been married for fifty years this winter." Connor smiled up at the lovely old couple who were also bundled in fur and clearly enjoying the evening.

Abby smiled shyly up at them and waved to Anna. "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise," Anna replied. "I hear you've never been on a sleigh ride?" Abby nodded. "Well, climb aboard my dear. Get that darling gentleman of yours to help you up. "

Connor took Abby's hand like a proper gentleman and helped her up into the sleigh. He climbed in after her and helped arrange the blankets over them. They snuggled in close and Connor wrapped his arms around her. Nicholas called to the horses and they took off, jingle bells ringing all the way.

Abby inhaled the cold crisp air deeply. She had always had this childhood dream of taking a sleigh ride with her beloved. When she was little, her beloved had been a prince, but now that she was older, Connor was better than any prince she could have wished for. He loved her, took care of her, and always tried to make her dreams come true. This though, this was beyond words. She stared around in wide-eyed wonder at the beautiful landscape all around them. The Scottish highlands were beautiful on their own, but draped in white and dotted with the occasional snow covered tree, the countryside around Glen Shee was absolutely stunning.

Abby watched the couple sitting up on the bench. Nicholas drove with one arm mostly so he could keep the other around his sweetheart. They were still clearly very much in love. She hoped her and Connor would be just like that one day. Connor kissed her temple, and Abby looked up at him. He glanced from her to the couple in front of them and she knew he was thinking the same thing. She leaned in and kissed him deeply. A kiss that warmed her right down to her toes, more so than any blanket, fur or otherwise, could have done. After an hour riding all over the mountainside taking in the sites of the lovely valley, Nicholas stopped the sleigh outside a stone house that seemed like a cottage trying very hard to channel a castle. It was lovely, one of the prettiest little houses Abby had ever seen. Connor helped Abby down and they walked into the beautiful, inviting home. Nicholas and Anna served them warm mulled cider with added apple juice in their living room by a roaring fire. They talked a bit and took time to warm up. After that it was time to head back to their cabin. Nicholas bade Anna stay in this time and told her that he'd be right back. The old couple shared a tender kiss with Anna making him promise to return soon. It made Abby and Connor hold onto each other all the more. Each of them was given a cup of hot mulled cider for their ride back up to the cabin. Abby once again was at a loss for words. The night had been so perfect and it wasn't even Christmas yet.

Christmas morning dawned bright and clear for the first time since their arrival. Connor was up first, like he always was on Christmas morning. He was bouncy and wide-awake, rare for him in the mornings. His childlike joy was always infectious, though, and Abby joined him on the floor in front of their lovely not so little Christmas tree. They traded gifts and opened them up one at a time while the other watched. Abby received an exquisite diamond and gold necklace from him and then a much more practical new scope for the rifle she had been training to use at work. She was ecstatic and couldn't wait to try it out when they got back. Becker was going to be so envious, all the Special Forces would be. It was top of the line. Connor laughed at that and told her Becker had helped him pick it out. She laughed some more and had a funny look on her face when she handed him his presents.

Connor's gifts were both practical. He opened a pair of new fingerless gloves and to his utter joy and amazement, a brand new Sig Sauer pistol. He'd had the license for it for ages, but had had to make do with the government issued ones ARC had. Becker had spent years teaching him to be a crack shot. He'd really come into his own in the last few months. Becker had helped Abby pick it out for him, hence the funny look on her face earlier.

Connor made to get up and clean up the smattering of wrapping paper. Abby pulled him back down and reached around to the very back of the tree for a little box she had hidden there.

"Connor, there's one more, and it's got your name on it." Abby smiled and handed him the box.

"Abby, what's this about, eh?"

"Open it, Connor," she said quietly.

She watched in anticipation as Connor unwrapped the final gift under the tree. He stared down at the box puzzled for a moment, then shock came over him and he glanced up at Abby, then back down at the box. He was doing an excellent impression of a goldfish. He lifted first a powder blue stocking out of the box and then the powder pink stocking out from underneath the blue one.

"Abby…"

Abby smiled as she enjoyed one of Connor Temple's rare speechless moments.

"Are you… Are we…" Goldfish impression again. "Are you… Are you…"

She nodded joyfully. "Mmm hmm."

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Mmm hmm." She nodded again.

Connor's face fell. "Well, which is it, I'm confused…" She saw the expression change on his face as the penny dropped. "Both?"

"Yep, twins. That's actually all I know right now."

Connor was at a loss for words. _Twins._ He didn't quite know how to process that one yet. "Twins," he repeated aloud. "I'm going to be a dad. We're going to have twins." They weren't questions. He was simply saying it out loud to confirm it to his own ears. "OHMYGODABBY! That's the best Christmas present ever!" He launched himself at her and pulled her into his arms.

They were a giggling, crying, kissing, sappy mess on the floor for most of the morning after that. They had to get up and feed themselves and their animals after a while though. Abby discovered that the stockings had been filled with all sorts of goodies and sweets and even Sid, Nancy, and Rex's stockings were filled with dinosaur-appropriate treats for them. The afternoon was spent building a little snowman family on the front yard and that of course devolved into a snowball fight between the two of them. When they came back into the cabin, Sid and Nancy were actually snuggled up inside their stockings. It made them laugh. Rex was laying on the floor with his head stuffed into his. It looked like he had fallen asleep trying to gorge himself on the treats.

One thing was for sure; Connor and Abby were going to thoroughly enjoy the next week and a half they had left of their holidays. Their lives were about to get much more complicated in the most amazing of ways.

As they snuggled on the loveseat in front of the fire, Connor leaned over and kissed Abby softly. "Merry Christmas, Mummy-to-be."

"Merry Christmas, Daddy-to-be."

**Was that fluffy enough for you? Please hit the review button and let me know. **


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